Movie Review - “30 Days of Night”
** 1/2 STARS
It’s always been my opinion that vampire movies are the weakest genre of horror films. “Near Dark” and Francis Ford Coppola’s “Dracula” are two examples of creepy and frightening vampire movies. But vampires really don’t compare to other horror movie bad guys such as zombies, psycho killers or monsters. Case in point? The best vampire movie ever created, “The Lost Boys” is part comedy and part “horror”.
Barrow, Alaska, a small town on the Arctic circle, is preparing for its annual “30 days of night,” a period during the winter when the sun will not be seen. A crew of vampires uses the town as it’s own private all you can eat restaurant. Those that survive the first wave of vampire attacks have to count the days until the sun comes back and hide for survival. The scene when the vampires first attack the small town is filmed in one sprawling gory aerial shot that sent shivers up my spine.
At first I thought the “30 days of Night” plot device was just a Hollywood gimmick. After watching this movie I think it is a creative way to breath new life into a stale genre. This film had some genuine scares and very graphic gory images worthy of any horror movie fan’s time. This isn’t your typical vampire movie fare, it’s got some fresh twists other than what the title gives away. And much to my surprise Josh Hartnett even delivers an o.k. performance in this movie!
Within the first 30 minutes of “30 Days of Night” I assumed I was going to get another bland exercise in Hollywood vampire flicks much like that of “Underworld” or “Blade”. I was a bit bored during the set up within the first 30 minutes of this movie. But then halfway through “30 Days” the movie turns into a much darker vampire film with a more sadistic tone. That said, this movie wasn’t terrifying, but it was original and entertaining.
November 6th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
This movie sucked the big one! HATED IT! I should have been called 1 Day of Night, because that’s how it felt. Not 30. So many holes!